Life is one big game that has one lane, until you reach the possibilities lane. I realized this as I was getting older and maturing, life just wasn’t the way I thought it was. As a younger child, you are still a carefree spirit in a way that goes with the flow. You listen to everything your parents say, do what they say, and simply just do what everyone around you does. This is the way of a child, however, it all changed when I was able to start thinking for once about the possibilities of life. As I was entering my young teen years, I realized my childhood was nothing but a manipulated lifestyle by the adults around me; my parents. As to why I say so, it only starts as routine. As a elementary student, the daily routine for a child would be to just go to school in the morning, go home in the afternoon, do your HW and then go to sleep; in the morning your routine just starts all over again. This was the norm for a child with such a simple mind. I thought so as well, that this would be what I was to do for the rest of my life, and that I was fine with it as well. Sometimes outside of school however, I would see other older students walking home from school and start to wonder; “they are so different from me, but how?” I would just ignore this feeble attempt at curiosity, and start to think the way I thought. The point where everything started to burst at me, entering middle school; it was just a two way road in the beginning. The main idea about being a student in a school was to not only get high remarks, but to get involved as possible. I didn’t really get what that meant at first, but then I realized that it simply meant to be part of societies and clubs, also to do as many extracurricular as you are capable off. I was extremely excited towards doing the activities that they were offering. Programs and extracurricular were either sports or educationally rounded. I myself got myself involved into as many as I can, into ones where I had high interest in such as robotics and the school’s tech squad. I later on went into sports, starting off with fencing. It was great and all, I was really proud of myself as well, being to do what I was doing. But, there was the downside that I didn’t expect my parents. Something that I did realized until later; living in a “typical Asian” household, I was expected to go to school, do what I had to do and get really high grades. This was something I obviously knew, but didn’t exactly stay the same. This turned into a different version once I got into middle school. All the opportunities and extracurriculars, apparently based on my parents, I didn’t need. This was a point where conflicts between my parents and I started. Because of their strict native background, and I don’t blame them for it, they believe that education is like a rulebook; you are to go to school, do your work, get top of the class grades, go home and just study till dawn at times. This was an obstacle for them to believing how things work here. Progressing from middle school into high school, I was involved in many programs; computer tech squad, robotics, fencing, and a college readiness program called GEAR-UP. This involved staying late after school hours, this was where my parents would disagree with me. They would constantly scold me saying why do I always have to stay late, you don’t need all of that all you need is to go to school learn, go home and that’s it. They would think that I getting involved would mean a disruptance in my education. The only part I ever understood was when my parents were concerned with me coming home late from school, but what I could never understand was why they were so against me being involved in my school. It took me a while to realize that my father wanted me to just follow his footsteps. Back when he was younger, his childhood was different due to the fact that he grew up in his country. He would tell me that he would just go to school, then afterwards go home and work in the family factory. I understood that, but then I try to explain to him that his situation is understandable, but things are different here. There are so many opportunities here that I can take that will benefit for the better future of me. He would cease to understand me, but continue to scold me and yell at me everytime I came home late and for things that didn’t strictly concern my classes. Although through this trouble with my father, I continued to join clubs and societies in school. The best part is, I don’t regret even a single bit of doing so. I was able to get involved in many after school activities, this also includes staying late after school hours to help as a volunteer. There were sometimes events going on such as parent meetings or faculty meetings, and I would stay to help set things up technology wise.
Personal Statement-
Quang Vo
Life is one big game that has one lane, until you reach the possibilities lane. I realized this as I was getting older and maturing, life just wasn’t the way I thought it was. As a younger child, you are still a carefree spirit in a way that goes with the flow. You listen to everything your parents say, do what they say, and simply just do what everyone around you does. This is the way of a child, however, it all changed when I was able to start thinking for once about the possibilities of life. As I was entering my young teen years, I realized my childhood was nothing but a manipulated lifestyle by the adults around me; my parents. As to why I say so, it only starts as routine.
As a elementary student, the daily routine for a child would be to just go to school in the morning, go home in the afternoon, do your HW and then go to sleep; in the morning your routine just starts all over again. This was the norm for a child with such a simple mind. I thought so as well, that this would be what I was to do for the rest of my life, and that I was fine with it as well. Sometimes outside of school however, I would see other older students walking home from school and start to wonder; “they are so different from me, but how?” I would just ignore this feeble attempt at curiosity, and start to think the way I thought. The point where everything started to burst at me, entering middle school; it was just a two way road in the beginning.
The main idea about being a student in a school was to not only get high remarks, but to get involved as possible. I didn’t really get what that meant at first, but then I realized that it simply meant to be part of societies and clubs, also to do as many extracurricular as you are capable off. I was extremely excited towards doing the activities that they were offering. Programs and extracurricular were either sports or educationally rounded. I myself got myself involved into as many as I can, into ones where I had high interest in such as robotics and the school’s tech squad. I later on went into sports, starting off with fencing. It was great and all, I was really proud of myself as well, being to do what I was doing. But, there was the downside that I didn’t expect my parents.
Something that I did realized until later; living in a “typical Asian” household, I was expected to go to school, do what I had to do and get really high grades. This was something I obviously knew, but didn’t exactly stay the same. This turned into a different version once I got into middle school. All the opportunities and extracurriculars, apparently based on my parents, I didn’t need. This was a point where conflicts between my parents and I started. Because of their strict native background, and I don’t blame them for it, they believe that education is like a rulebook; you are to go to school, do your work, get top of the class grades, go home and just study till dawn at times. This was an obstacle for them to believing how things work here.
Progressing from middle school into high school, I was involved in many programs; computer tech squad, robotics, fencing, and a college readiness program called GEAR-UP. This involved staying late after school hours, this was where my parents would disagree with me. They would constantly scold me saying why do I always have to stay late, you don’t need all of that all you need is to go to school learn, go home and that’s it. They would think that I getting involved would mean a disruptance in my education.
The only part I ever understood was when my parents were concerned with me coming home late from school, but what I could never understand was why they were so against me being involved in my school. It took me a while to realize that my father wanted me to just follow his footsteps. Back when he was younger, his childhood was different due to the fact that he grew up in his country. He would tell me that he would just go to school, then afterwards go home and work in the family factory. I understood that, but then I try to explain to him that his situation is understandable, but things are different here. There are so many opportunities here that I can take that will benefit for the better future of me. He would cease to understand me, but continue to scold me and yell at me everytime I came home late and for things that didn’t strictly concern my classes.
Although through this trouble with my father, I continued to join clubs and societies in school. The best part is, I don’t regret even a single bit of doing so. I was able to get involved in many after school activities, this also includes staying late after school hours to help as a volunteer. There were sometimes events going on such as parent meetings or faculty meetings, and I would stay to help set things up technology wise.